A print showing the street procession for King George IV’s coronation on 19 July 1821 in St James’s Park, London, when Britain was fastchanging into an industrial, urban nation. The hot air balloon represents balloonist Charles Green’s first ascension and the first successful use of coal gas, which was cheaper than hydrogen and more readily available
The Georgian era commenced in 1714 with the accession of George I and the House of Hanover, and continued until 1830, or 1837 if the short reign of William IV is included.
The five monarchs of this period – the four Georges and William – oversaw a dramatic evolution in the newly formed entity of Great Britain, following the Acts of Union between Scotland, England and Wales in 1707, which would expand further in 1801 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. While many might view the Victorian era as being the heyday of the British Empire, it was the Georgian era preceding it which was the midwife to its existence, as it expanded the worldwide trading networks first conceived by the Stuart monarchs before them.
Unification
Two major factors led to the Union of 1707. The first was the issue of the succession, following the future death of Queen Anne, which had to be agreed by both the English and the Scots for the joint monarchy that had been in place since 1603, at the Union of the Crowns. The English Parliament had already unilaterally passed an Act of Settlement in 1706, paving the way for the queen’s German second cousin George, the Elector of Hanover, to take the throne.
This was countered by an outraged Scottish Parliament’s own Act of Security, with the worrying possibility for the English that the Scots might restore the Stuarts to the throne north of the border.
While many might view the Victorian era as being the heyday of the British Empire, it was the Georgian era preceding it which was the midwife to its existence